Nothing Typical About AS Roma Club of Boston

On a typical dreary damp Sunday in January, I met with Michael Rizzo, one of the founders of the AS Roma Club of Boston. What I learned is that there is nothing typical about this club. A very gracious and proud AS Roma fan, Mr. Rizzo provided me with countless facts that are little-known to many.

Fans with Roma captain Francesco Totti.

Three enthusiastic organizers — Rick Antonellis, Marco Giorgini and Michael Rizzo — started this club because of their shared passion for AS Roma and to find a way to join forces with other supporters.

When the gentlemen heard of the new American ownership of the team, they immediately worked to put together a Facebook page to recruit local fans and to provide them with up to the minute information on getting involved.

The Facebook page, AS Roma Club Boston, is the online meeting point where local fans keep up to date on the latest news regarding the soccer club’s happenings. Instant bursts of information are provided by Andrea Polchetti, a fan and supporter of the Boston club. He manages the Facebook news portion directly from Rome, Italy. As news about the team emerges, he immediately channels the updates through ASRomaLive.it ‘Like’ the Facebook page and you’ll be supplied with updates as they occur.

The new American owner, James Pallotta, excited the local club and inspired this new outreach to be stronger. The eager group wanted to collaborate with Mr. Pallota and his associates in their quest to expand to the American market. Mr. Rizzo told me how he and the other founders of the AS Roma Club of Boston made contact with the new ownership and were able to be included in this past summer’s exhibition visit.

As part of the team’s official welcome, the Roma Club of Boston greeted the players and presented Francesco Totti with a plaque. In addition, they attended a practice and watched from on-field seats. Being in close proximity to the players was obviously a thrilling experience to all who were invited to observe! Members attended the game at Fenway Park along with supporters from the AS Roma Clubs of Denver, New York, Chicago and Florida. They came to Boston for this visit by the team and to show support for the growing fan base.

Mr. Rizzo conveyed the admiration they have for AS Roma, the new owners and the desire to assist in reaching out more to the Boston community. “The goal is to bring more recognition to the AS Roma Club,” said Mr. Rizzo. “During the season, our club meets to watch games together at Caffé Dello Sport. All Roma fans are invited to attend.” As Mr. Rizzo stated, “Fun and good-natured passion for soccer are at the heart of this club.”

This is evident through the active social networking that the club is doing through Twitter and Facebook. They are reaching out to you, the AS Roma Fans of Boston and beyond. They are looking to include you into their fan base! Join them on Twitter and Facebook. “Hopefully more visits to Boston by the team will be added,” said Mr. Rizzo.

But in the meantime, the inclusion of fans is key to building this already very vibrant club up to a larger group and having an increase in their local fan base. As Mr. Rizzo expressed his regard for all of the Boston Club’s membership, he showed his excitement for soccer and the thrill of the sport. It’s evident that the new American ownership is adding to the fervor.

It’s exciting to see that the love for Italian soccer is spreading to the US and showing up here in Boston!

About Lauren E. Forcucci

Lauren is a Boston area college instructor of Political Science, researcher and writer. Her work focuses on Fascism, examining both its historic trends and current resurgences. In a recently published article, Lauren explores the Battle for Births pronatalist campaign in Fascist Italy, in which she uncovers a piece of her family’s history. Lauren is interested in all aspects of Italian customs as well as the political, cultural and social ways of life. She enjoys learning about and experiencing her personal connections to Italian culture through music, food, the arts, sports and other traditions. Lauren is a first generation Italian-American with roots in the Abruzzo region. She is passionate about educating and informing others of the many facets of Italian heritage. Learn more about Lauren’s work by visiting her blog: laureneforcucci.blogspot.com/